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Topic: Conversion and waiting on spouses (Read 4169 times)

I was listening to some AFR the other day and it mentioned that many priests say not to attend DL without their spouse. Usually its the men that want to attend first. And that some need to wait years and years on their spouse. I wonder what do they do in the interim? Obviously read the bible, the fathers etc I also assume morning & evening prayers, fasting, and work on... well growing in Christ. I ask this because I'm an RC, and wife while she came into RC church, she is really still a Protestant at heart. I have a couple of EC churches but they are rather far, and a couple of EO churches closer. (the issue of EC or EO aside) I believe my wife is wanting to go back to Protestant churches for some rather good reasons. So I'm wondering how to live an Orthodox life in the interim until God calls us both to a church home. Thank you!

This is definitely an ask your priest type question (or, if you have yet to settle on one parish, then an 'ask the priests' question). Not because the priest will give you better advice than a bunch of strangers on the internet (though that's quite likely), but because it's one of those priests who will actually be working with you and your situation in preparing you for reception and making the decisions about when that will be.

That said, the Church certainly prefers to receive couples together. 2000 years of pastoral experience says that generally works out better for all concerned. And so when a couple is approaching Orthodoxy at different paces, it's quite common to delay the reception of one until the other is ready as well (and not only for couples--just recently our junior priest was telling some of us about when he was an inquirer/catachumen and told his parents that he was definitely converting to Orthodoxy. That got their interest so they started attending and became catachumens at the same parish. And in the end, the priest had to wait until his parents had caught up and they were all received together). But when only one member of the couple is converting, and the other has absolutely no interest or willingness to do the same, I have never heard of a priest making the converting spouse wait indefinitely on an event that may never happen before receiving them (and I know most of the priests and plenty of converts in the Metroplex area).

In the same way, the Church certainly wants you to bring your spouse to Liturgy with you, whether she's converting or not, even if she's only coming because you asked and not from any interest of her own. But if she simply won't come, I've never heard of a priest telling the believing spouse to not come just because the spouse won't.

For it were better to suffer everything, rather than divide the Church of God. Even martyrdom for the sake of preventing division would not be less glorious than for refusing to worship idols. - St. Dionysius the Great

Ive heard of many stories, and even met people in real life, who converted to Orthodoxy without their spouse. Ive never heard anyone say you have to have your spouse completely on board. My wife isnt really on board and Ill likely be converting soon. She doesnt mind if I do it though. Maybe it would be a little different if for some reason she really didnt want me to convert.

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Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our confidence in being heard must be based on God's mercy and His love for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.

I know several couples who have been in this situation. It was tough at first, but all of them eventually agreed to go their separate ways, religiously speaking, and attend different churches.

I'm personally of a mind that, while the marital relationship is of utmost importance and a common faith should be shared if at all possible, nevertheless it is not fair for one spouse to demand the other to violate their conscience or their faith. It is better to attend different churches than for one to force the other to attend a church they don't subscribe to.

It is even more complicated when kids are involved, because they have to basically choose a side, and it's a big decision for young kids to make. In most cases, the conversion process takes a lot longer, to allow for the family to get comfortable and sort things out.

And incidentally, I only personally know of one couple in which a wife became Orthodox without her husband. The opposite seems much more common.

I have not converted yet but I suppose God willing it will be soon. My wife is a life long Hispanic RC and I converted to RC from Protestantism. I've been learning about Orthodoxy for the last 4+years and became serious about conversion two years ago.

My Priest asked me to become a catechumenate this past Great Lent but in order for the hopes of my wife warming up a little bit more I opted to wait awhile longer. My Priest hopes that my wife will become more open to Orthodoxy but he will not hold off my conversion because my spouse isn't going to convert.

My hopes are no longer hopes. My wife will vehemently remain RC while I pursue conversion to Orthodoxy . As many people have said in these situations "walking the fence can make a person crazy". Unlike other women that have supported their husbands in thier desire for conversion to Orthodoxy, mine has not. I thought I could wait for my wife but it's been almost 5 years. Each person and situation is different though.

My life has changed since finding Orthodoxy. I wish you the best in these tough situations.

may God give u all much patience.i am the only orthodox Christian in my family.i don't go into personal details on the forum, but the keys to being ok is to stay close to God.be the first to apologise in arguments, give extra time and effort to the non orthodox person / people, never insult their faith, focus on what u share in common, eg. say a short prayer before long care journeys with the 'name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit' added under yr breath until they accept that this is a valid form of prayer.

compromise. work hard on yr weakness. be a good servant and loving friend. recognise their wise spiritual insights.keep up the gentle theological discussions and be a good listener to the other points of view.accept the differences. don't try to change the other person. keep icons discrete.go to the other person's church sometimes. don't try to change everyone there!remember yr weakness. thank God for the challenges and questions that come as they strengthen yr faith.maybe we think we would climb mountains and suffer for years if it would glorify God and build His church.well, none of us is saint paul or saint john, so God has not asked us to change nations or spend years in prison, but we can all persevere, meekly, consistently and in great love with the people God has placed us with who need a touch of God's love from the light He has placed inside us.

This is very interesting. I've never heard that "many" priests are asking a spouse to wait before becoming Orthodox. I might have heard of one or two. I'm part of a yahoo group for those who are Orthodox without their spouses and I'm not sure any of them have run into that advice either. Definitely talk with your priest. My husband is not Orthodox and this wasn't the case for us either. My priest wanted to make sure my husband wasn't categorically AGAINST my becoming Orthodox, but my priest never told me I couldn't come to church or become Orthodox until my husband was ready. Waiting for my husband was an option we discussed, but I honestly didn't think it would help any to wait for him. In fact, I thought it would make things worse. Not that it's been easy.

I do know some people who have opted to wait for their spouse. But it seems to me that it was a decision they made with prayer and the help of their priest...not a decision made for them by their priest.

Besides, I'm not sure historically this would be accurate. There's even that scripture verse about wives saving their non-Christian husband. While that is specific to non-Christians, it was written at at time when there weren't really other Christian options.

I was listening to some AFR the other day and it mentioned that many priests say not to attend DL without their spouse. Usually its the men that want to attend first. And that some need to wait years and years on their spouse.

The answer is quite simple, really, and very helpful not just in this matter you bring up, but regarding the idea of consulting priests generally. The answer, of course, is that such priests are morons. It also perfectly illustrates why blindly saying "ask your priest" is often, at best, dangerous advice. Priests are not protected from being morons any more than the rest of us. If you trust someone's advice (whether a priest, anonymous internet user or homeless man) then ask them for it. Then give it the weight you think it deserves. Easy peasy.

I was listening to some AFR the other day and it mentioned that many priests say not to attend DL without their spouse. Usually its the men that want to attend first. And that some need to wait years and years on their spouse.

The answer is quite simple, really, and very helpful not just in this matter you bring up, but regarding the idea of consulting priests generally. The answer, of course, is that such priests are morons. It also perfectly illustrates why blindly saying "ask your priest" is often, at best, dangerous advice. Priests are not protected from being morons any more than the rest of us. If you trust someone's advice (whether a priest, anonymous internet user or homeless man) then ask them for it. Then give it the weight you think it deserves. Easy peasy.

I understand what you are saying and don't necessarily disagree. The problem in this particular instance is that his priest is the one who will Christmate him - or not, as the case may be. Asking his priest is important in this case. At least he'll know if it's even possible for him to enter the Orthodox church without his spouse, if he chooses to do so. He (and we) may not agree with the priest's (or bishops) decision but there's not a lot we can do about it aside from finding another parish. Whether the priest is a moron for holding such a hard-line is a matter of personal opinion.

I have not converted yet but I suppose God willing it will be soon. My wife is a life long Hispanic RC and I converted to RC from Protestantism. I've been learning about Orthodoxy for the last 4+years and became serious about conversion two years ago.

My Priest asked me to become a catechumenate this past Great Lent but in order for the hopes of my wife warming up a little bit more I opted to wait awhile longer. My Priest hopes that my wife will become more open to Orthodoxy but he will not hold off my conversion because my spouse isn't going to convert.

My hopes are no longer hopes. My wife will vehemently remain RC while I pursue conversion to Orthodoxy . As many people have said in these situations "walking the fence can make a person crazy". Unlike other women that have supported their husbands in thier desire for conversion to Orthodoxy, mine has not. I thought I could wait for my wife but it's been almost 5 years. Each person and situation is different though.

It seems to me that your heart may have never been invested in Catholicism to begin with. Am I right to assume that you converted because of your wife?

It's difficult, and rare, to see Hispanic Orthodox in general, in my experience (things might be different down in the Southwest) because Catholicism is very much ingrained in their culture. They're much like the Greeks. The only Greek Catholics I've met were those that married Catholics.

Ive heard of many stories, and even met people in real life, who converted to Orthodoxy without their spouse. Ive never heard anyone say you have to have your spouse completely on board. My wife isnt really on board and Ill likely be converting soon. She doesnt mind if I do it though. Maybe it would be a little different if for some reason she really didnt want me to convert.

It is far different converting to Orthodoxy (or any other religion) before one is married when compared to converting afterwards. A person at my church converted to Orthodoxy from Melkite Catholicism. His wife, who is the daughter of a professor of a seminary aligned with the SSPX wants NOTHING to do with Orthodoxy, yet he went ahead and converted anyway. HIs wife wasn't even present at his chrismation. He's also shown a zealousness often associated with other converts but to a much greater degree.

He used to be one of our most frequent attendees at not only Liturgy but also Vespers and Orthros, but he's been told that such is a no-go anymore. His presence at Divine Litrugy is maybe once a month because he ends up going with her to the Melkite Church more and more. She never comes with him to the Orthodox Church. He's also a regular patron of our bookstore and he always pays cash or uses a company credit card so that his wife doesn't know about what he's spending money on. That kind of secrecy is dangerous.

He has three young kids with his wife and I'm sure they are confused. "Why doesn't daddy come to church with us anymore?" I think that these things are finally coming to a head and I fear for what may happen to the relationship. If your wife isn't on board and you have kids in the mix, especially young ones, I say don't do it. Remember it's important that you end the race well, not that you jump into it when you're not ready.

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I seek the truth by which no man was ever harmed--Marcus Aurelius

Those who do not read history are doomed to get their facts from Hollywood--Anonymous

Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our confidence in being heard must be based on God's mercy and His love for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.

I converted to Orthodoxy while my wife remains a nominal, non-practicing RC who wasn't catechized very well. The only conflict that arises is the sadness I feel because she does not come to church with me, especially since it's not because of any doctrinal issues but because of an irrational (to me, at least) distrust of church hierarchy she's developed over the past few years.

I still do hope that some day, once she's been able to process her feelings, she will convert. She certainly likes the liturgy and really likes Byzantine music (which I do not care for, although if I had to attend a Greek/Antiochian church for her sake, I would in a heartbeat, as I have the luxury of being able to do that at present).

It's certainly doable. My wife is curious as to why/when/how things are done and I am very careful in how I answer he questions to be as non-confrontational and non-triumphalist as possible. It takes great care to "ride the fence," as it were, but it is possible.

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"Hearing a nun's confession is like being stoned to death with popcorn." --Abp. Fulton Sheen

My wife is curious as to why/when/how things are done and I am very careful in how I answer he questions to be as non-confrontational and non-triumphalist as possible.

Im dealing with this too. She certainly senses a bit of arrogance when it comes to Orthodoxy, and most of that is my fault because I am a jaded ex-protestant who at times used to be a little more harsh than I should have been. I have improved a good bit though. Now when Im answering something, I try to just give the East's perspective on the subject, rather than trying to prove why its right when compared to the West (protestant).

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Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our confidence in being heard must be based on God's mercy and His love for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.

She certainly senses a bit of arrogance when it comes to Orthodoxy, and most of that is my fault because I am a jaded ex-protestant who at times used to be a little more harsh than I should have been. I have improved a good bit though.

Tell her that, with humility - that is, something on the order of, "Honey, whatever arrogance you may be sensing is, I'm afraid, my fault. I'm sure you know that I used to be more harsh than I should have been, but I'm working on it."

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"If but ten of us lead a holy life, we shall kindle a fire which shall light up the entire city."

She certainly senses a bit of arrogance when it comes to Orthodoxy, and most of that is my fault because I am a jaded ex-protestant who at times used to be a little more harsh than I should have been. I have improved a good bit though.

Tell her that, with humility - that is, something on the order of, "Honey, whatever arrogance you may be sensing is, I'm afraid, my fault. I'm sure you know that I used to be more harsh than I should have been, but I'm working on it."

I have, actually. Sometimes shes really open to discussing everything, and seems to be open to the idea of maybe converting. Then other days, shes not so easy to talk to. Just depends on her mood I suppose. Sometimes, and I could be totally wrong here, it seems like that she is convinced and shes just scared of the change so shes trying to talk herself out of it. (sort of like I used to.... ha!) She even told me once after attending her parents Baptist church that everything I had been talking about was starting to make sense. She attended the same church yesterday after attending liturgy with me 2 weeks ago. Hopefully after seeing the two services side by side, the DL will start to make more sense and she will be drawn to Orthodoxy. I actually have the next 2 sunday mornings off (assuming any last minute work doesnt pop up), so hopefully she will come with me again. I never pressure her to though. Just extend the invitation.

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Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our confidence in being heard must be based on God's mercy and His love for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.

She certainly senses a bit of arrogance when it comes to Orthodoxy, and most of that is my fault because I am a jaded ex-protestant who at times used to be a little more harsh than I should have been. I have improved a good bit though.

Tell her that, with humility - that is, something on the order of, "Honey, whatever arrogance you may be sensing is, I'm afraid, my fault. I'm sure you know that I used to be more harsh than I should have been, but I'm working on it."

I have, actually. Sometimes shes really open to discussing everything, and seems to be open to the idea of maybe converting. Then other days, shes not so easy to talk to. Just depends on her mood I suppose. Sometimes, and I could be totally wrong here, it seems like that she is convinced and shes just scared of the change so shes trying to talk herself out of it. (sort of like I used to.... ha!) She even told me once after attending her parents Baptist church that everything I had been talking about was starting to make sense. She attended the same church yesterday after attending liturgy with me 2 weeks ago. Hopefully after seeing the two services side by side, the DL will start to make more sense and she will be drawn to Orthodoxy. I actually have the next 2 sunday mornings off (assuming any last minute work doesnt pop up), so hopefully she will come with me again. I never pressure her to though. Just extend the invitation.

Your wife sounds similar to my husband. Although I don't necessarily think it's fear on his part.

I'll disclose a little personal info in the hopes that it may help someone see a different aspect of 'Conversion Aversion'.

My wife is adopted and an only child and her parents have doted on her from day one. The reasons she gives me on her hesitancy to convert all boil down to a familial bond and duty that goes like this: Her parents went to great lengths (travel, financial, time) to adopt her and bring her back America. To this day, her parents still celebrate what they call "Gotcha Day." Because of everything they've done for her, all the sacrifices they've made, for her to leave her parents' religion is (to her mind) akin to turning her back on them. The very thought of this can bring her to tears. I have tried to explain to her that this is absolutely not the case. Why, her own father left his childhood Baptist religion for his wife's Lutheranism and he still is as close to his parents as my wife is to hers. They've even giver her their blessing (as if she needed it) to convert to Orthodoxy. However, as I mentioned above, the three of them are extremely close and she just will not do anything that she feels will hurt them.

Like some of you, I no longer talk about it as much as I once did; I no longer ask her to read this or that book. Thankfully though, she loves our priest and always goes to church with me on the days I'm not working. Baby steps, I reckon.

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"The Scots-Irish; Brewed in Scotland, bottled in Ireland, uncorked in America." ~Scots-Irish saying

timon, u mentioned that it can depend on the 'mood' of the spouse.this is sometimes true, but remember that the 'mood' of someone can be actively irritated by the evil one who loves to stir up dissension and arguments.we are not all saint anthony the great, and most of us will not see demons and fight off serpents (thank God!) but it's certainly possible for people to be affected by the whispers of the enemy.

maybe for some of u it will sound a bit far fetched, but remember the devil is like a 'prowling lion' and so when yr spouse is uncharacteristically harsh with u, (and maybe also u with him / her, we have faults too!) it could just be the enemy causing irritation. so never take this personally, remember yr spouse is not yr enemy (even if he / she takes up devil worship) but the devil is yr enemy. the best way to get even with the devil is to be full of God's love, forgiveness and patience.'submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you'.james 4:7.also see 1 peter 3.so say something like, 'come on, let's not start being mean about this, the important thing is that i really love u (and then add some specific positive point). lets chill a bit and discuss it again after dinner when we are feeling calmer'.

timon, u mentioned that it can depend on the 'mood' of the spouse.this is sometimes true, but remember that the 'mood' of someone can be actively irritated by the evil one who loves to stir up dissension and arguments.we are not all saint anthony the great, and most of us will not see demons and fight off serpents (thank God!) but it's certainly possible for people to be affected by the whispers of the enemy.

maybe for some of u it will sound a bit far fetched, but remember the devil is like a 'prowling lion' and so when yr spouse is uncharacteristically harsh with u, (and maybe also u with him / her, we have faults too!) it could just be the enemy causing irritation. so never take this personally, remember yr spouse is not yr enemy (even if he / she takes up devil worship) but the devil is yr enemy. the best way to get even with the devil is to be full of God's love, forgiveness and patience.'submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you'.james 4:7.also see 1 peter 3.so say something like, 'come on, let's not start being mean about this, the important thing is that i really love u (and then add some specific positive point). lets chill a bit and discuss it again after dinner when we are feeling calmer'.

excellent advice. thanks for this!

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Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our confidence in being heard must be based on God's mercy and His love for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.

She certainly senses a bit of arrogance when it comes to Orthodoxy, and most of that is my fault because I am a jaded ex-protestant who at times used to be a little more harsh than I should have been. I have improved a good bit though.

Tell her that, with humility - that is, something on the order of, "Honey, whatever arrogance you may be sensing is, I'm afraid, my fault. I'm sure you know that I used to be more harsh than I should have been, but I'm working on it."

I have, actually. Sometimes shes really open to discussing everything, and seems to be open to the idea of maybe converting. Then other days, shes not so easy to talk to. Just depends on her mood I suppose. Sometimes, and I could be totally wrong here, it seems like that she is convinced and shes just scared of the change so shes trying to talk herself out of it. (sort of like I used to.... ha!) She even told me once after attending her parents Baptist church that everything I had been talking about was starting to make sense. She attended the same church yesterday after attending liturgy with me 2 weeks ago. Hopefully after seeing the two services side by side, the DL will start to make more sense and she will be drawn to Orthodoxy. I actually have the next 2 sunday mornings off (assuming any last minute work doesnt pop up), so hopefully she will come with me again. I never pressure her to though. Just extend the invitation.

Your wife sounds similar to my husband. Although I don't necessarily think it's fear on his part.

so, youre a female trying to draw your husband to orthodoxy? usually, according to the statistics ive heard, its the other way around to where the male tries to bring the female to orthodoxy!

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Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our confidence in being heard must be based on God's mercy and His love for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.

so, youre a female trying to draw your husband to orthodoxy? usually, according to the statistics ive heard, its the other way around to where the male tries to bring the female to orthodoxy!

yes, I am female and my husband isn't Orthodox. I am not trying to draw him into Orthodoxy though. If my husband ever decides to convert it will be his own choice. I was never one who left Orthodox material lying around for him to "find" or asking him to pray Orthodox prayers, etc. etc. That is just so not me. Probably if someone were to look from the outside they'd think I don't care. But that isn't true. I care more that if he were to become Orthodox that it would come from his heart and not because he felt some kind of obligation to me or the kids.

I hear statistics say I'm in the minority, but I do know of several women who are Orthodox without their husbands. I don't think we're as much a minority as it seems.

i'm female too!in a previous church we had a divorced lady who attended alone and 2 men who attended without their wives, though i did get to meet one of the wives. i was keen to show them orthodox Christians don't have 2 heads.take it slow, value them and their friends, invite yr orthodox friends to meet them if that's ok, for some neutral event such as eating food (before the apostles fast is a great time to do this!)

i have to say, though, that my husband is amazing and even buys me vegan food in the fasts.

It seems to me that your heart may have never been invested in Catholicism to begin with. Am I right to assume that you converted because of your wife?

It's difficult, and rare, to see Hispanic Orthodox in general, in my experience (things might be different down in the Southwest) because Catholicism is very much ingrained in their culture. They're much like the Greeks. The only Greek Catholics I've met were those that married Catholics.

Sorry about this late post. I just saw your reply. I did convert for my wife and became invested into Catholicism prior even knowing or hearing about the Orthodox Church. But as I started to learn more about the RCC I started to learn about the OC and so on................ Your exactly right about the culture in the Southwest. That's one of the reasons she's so stubborn

My wife attended Liturgy with me once and she said she didn't like it. We got into some heated discussions over the Church and our respective faiths/beliefs. My priest is well aware of my situation and his advice has been to pray and come to liturgy when I'm able, which tends to be on a weekday because of work. I think prayer has been working.

This weekend, my wife and I visited my parents and I tricked invited them to the local Greek festival where I know they have tours of the Cathedral. After lunch, I said, "Hey, let's go see this tour." So, we all did. It really was more of a lecture, sitting inside the Cathedral surrounded by the icons. Under no other circumstance would I ever think I would get my wife AND my parents to sit in an Orthodox church and listen to a half hour lecture on a brief history of the Church, icons, traditions, architecture, etc. The lecturer is a college professor, so he obviously knew his stuff. Anyway, after the lecture and back at home, my wife apologized for not understanding and she says that she gets it now. She said, "All you had to do was say what he said."

I said, "I did. I just didn't have the benefit of having a fifty foot icon of Christ enthroned above our heads." We laughed.

I am going to keep on praying and I believe someday my wife will turn to me and say, "Let's go to Church," and mean our Church.

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Happy shall he be, that shall take and dash thy little ones against the rock. Alleluia.

I converted by myself while my wife is still protestant. If I had it to do over again I would have included my wife in my research. You know what they say about hind-sight though. For me it has been important for me to grow in the faith so that I could better lead my wife to Orthodoxy. If I had not been attending an Orthodox Church I think it would have hurt the possibility of her conversion. As I've learned about the Faith, I've shared what I've learned and she's gradually accepting bits of truth. The more I learn, the more she learns. She may not accept it all but she cannot grow towards Orthodoxy if I'm not.

...my two cents

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The true Orthodox way of thought has always been historical, has always included the past, but has never been enslaved by it. . . for the strength of the Church is not in the past, present, or future, but in Christ.

I converted by myself while my wife is still protestant. If I had it to do over again I would have included my wife in my research. You know what they say about hind-sight though. For me it has been important for me to grow in the faith so that I could better lead my wife to Orthodoxy. If I had not been attending an Orthodox Church I think it would have hurt the possibility of her conversion. As I've learned about the Faith, I've shared what I've learned and she's gradually accepting bits of truth. The more I learn, the more she learns. She may not accept it all but she cannot grow towards Orthodoxy if I'm not.

...my two cents

Did you need change? This has been my experience so far. I started to investigate Orthodoxy before I met my spouse, so it was kind of a one man show. I failed to share more with my wife, which led to contention. But, like you said, she's gradually accepting the truth.

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Happy shall he be, that shall take and dash thy little ones against the rock. Alleluia.

I wish I had involved my wife more in my discovery, but she was not real interested in hearing about it, so I just did it on my own. I wish I could say my wife is becoming more accepting of it, but I think it would probably be more accurate to say she is tolerating it a bit more than before. She definitely is not at any level of acceptance at this point.

keep waiting, keep praying, keep sharing bits of what you learn.also, in any friendship (not only in marriage), you also need to show some interest in what the other person is interested in.

this is not always easy, e.g. recently i persuaded my friend to agree read some lovely stuff by saint athanasius (on the incarnation and the letter to marcellus about the psalms). but i had to promise to read some bit of anti-semitic conspiracy theory nonsense that he is interested in.off now to read the antisemitic nonsense so that i can then show i am a good friend...the things we have to do for friendship!

keep waiting, keep praying, keep sharing bits of what you learn.also, in any friendship (not only in marriage), you also need to show some interest in what the other person is interested in.

this is not always easy, e.g. recently i persuaded my friend to agree read some lovely stuff by saint athanasius (on the incarnation and the letter to marcellus about the psalms). but i had to promise to read some bit of anti-semitic conspiracy theory nonsense that he is interested in.off now to read the antisemitic nonsense so that i can then show i am a good friend...the things we have to do for friendship!

This doesn't always work. I read all three books of "50 Shades" but my wife has yet to pick up "Against Heresies." LOL, j/k. Seriously, though, she has barely peeked into "Surprised by Christ" by Fr. James Bernstein.

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Happy shall he be, that shall take and dash thy little ones against the rock. Alleluia.

My husband is still nominally Anglican. He'll be chrismated eventually, though the last few years haven't done much for his concentration, or his ability to attend services. I'm not pushing; I know he wants it, and it will happen in its own time.

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'When you live your path all the time, you end up with both more path and more time.'~Venecia Rauls

ok, now i read the antisemitic nonsense.my head hurts!as for father james' book, it is really very good. maybe you should post a few quotes on the fridge door to stimulate her appetite for good reading!

the best 'book' our spouses have to read is our lives. keep working on this and you will see results!

disclaimer:this may take many years.you will become more beautiful as you wait; don't be discouraged.

This doesn't always work. I read all three books of "50 Shades" but my wife has yet to pick up "Against Heresies."

I know you were joking, but to be fair to your wife, I didn't really enjoy Against Heresies all that much. I know little about Fifty Shades, so I don't know if I would enjoy it, but I suspect I would have a better time with it.

Moral: pick funner patristics.

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"Do not tempt the Mor thy Mod."

Mor no longer posts on OCNet. He follows threads, posts his responses daily, occasionally starts threads, and responds to private messages when and as he wants. But he really isn't around anymore.

This doesn't always work. I read all three books of "50 Shades" but my wife has yet to pick up "Against Heresies."

I know you were joking, but to be fair to your wife, I didn't really enjoy Against Heresies all that much. I know little about Fifty Shades, so I don't know if I would enjoy it, but I suspect I would have a better time with it.

Moral: pick funner patristics.

Meh, 50 Shades is your typical harlequin romance with some pretty tame smut thrown in the mix. I do have to agree with you on "Against Heresies"; it's not that good for fun reading.

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Happy shall he be, that shall take and dash thy little ones against the rock. Alleluia.

This doesn't always work. I read all three books of "50 Shades" but my wife has yet to pick up "Against Heresies."

I know you were joking, but to be fair to your wife, I didn't really enjoy Against Heresies all that much. I know little about Fifty Shades, so I don't know if I would enjoy it, but I suspect I would have a better time with it.

Moral: pick funner patristics.

I think it would be much better if we were actually dealing with expansive gnosticism in todays society. All his arguments against Aeons and the like just kind of go over my head. I did find some interesting points in book 4, I believe, regarding the Church and what it is. I love St. Clement of Rome. He is one of my favorite Fathers.

What words of wisdom... "don't go into personal details on the forum, but the keys to being ok is to stay close to God.be the first to apologise in arguments, give extra time and effort to the non orthodox person / people, never insult their faith, focus on what u share in common, eg. say a short prayer before long care journeys with the 'name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit' added under yr breath until they accept that this is a valid form of prayer.

compromise. work hard on yr weakness. be a good servant and loving friend. recognise their wise spiritual insights.keep up the gentle theological discussions and be a good listener to the other points of view.accept the differences. don't try to change the other person. keep icons discrete.go to the other person's church sometimes. don't try to change everyone there!remember yr weakness. thank God for the challenges and questions that come as they strengthen yr faith.maybe we think we would climb mountains and suffer for years if it would glorify God and build His church.well, none of us is saint paul or saint john, so God has not asked us to change nations or spend years in prison, but we can all persevere, meekly, consistently and in great love with the people God has placed us with who need a touch of God's love from the light He has placed inside us".

In my case my wife is not resistant but at least 'open' so all I can do is become an example of which to follow.

My wife will not convert, but has no problem with my converting (after much discussion). But, the priest says we have to be "re"-married in the Orthodox Church (we are both converts to the RCC - me from atheism and her from Methodism and we were married in a Methodist church as such).

It seems to my wife (and to me), that she would be committing a grave sin (from the RCC perspective) if she were to take part in the marriage in an Orthodox Church. (In at least two ways, as a party to my "schism" and by "simulating a sacrament" since we are already sacramentally married according to the Catholic Church).

Has anyone solved this problem?

I am in agony... This is very difficult, and I don't know what to do.

« Last Edit: November 04, 2013, 09:58:41 PM by ErmyCath »

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"You must have an opinion on everything and loudly confront everyone with it." - Cyrillic

My wife will not convert, but has no problem with my converting (after much discussion). But, the priest says we have to be "re"-married in the Orthodox Church (we are both converts to the RCC - me from atheism and her from Methodism and we were married in a Methodist church as such).

It seems to my wife (and to me), that she would be committing a grave sin (from the RCC perspective) if she were to take part in the marriage in an Orthodox Church. (In at least two ways, as a party to my "schism" and by "simulating a sacrament" since we are already sacramentally married according to the Catholic Church).

Has anyone solved this problem?

I am in agony... This is very difficult, and I don't know what to do.

Do you mean your priest says you have to be remarried in the Church even though your wife won't convert? And he's willing to perform it without her conversion? I find that kind of strange.

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Happy shall he be, that shall take and dash thy little ones against the rock. Alleluia.

My wife will not convert, but has no problem with my converting (after much discussion). But, the priest says we have to be "re"-married in the Orthodox Church (we are both converts to the RCC - me from atheism and her from Methodism and we were married in a Methodist church as such).

It seems to my wife (and to me), that she would be committing a grave sin (from the RCC perspective) if she were to take part in the marriage in an Orthodox Church. (In at least two ways, as a party to my "schism" and by "simulating a sacrament" since we are already sacramentally married according to the Catholic Church).

Has anyone solved this problem?

I am in agony... This is very difficult, and I don't know what to do.

Lord have mercy.

Logged

He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will have no end.